Introduction

Abstract

Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472) was a prolific fifteenth century polymath, a true Renaissance man. His contributions to architecture and the visual arts are well known and available in good English editions; much of his literary and social writings are also available in English – including the recent 2003 edition of Momus in Harvard’s I Tatti Renaissance Library. However, Alberti’s mathematical works are not well represented in readily available English editions. The principal aim of this present volume is to provide accessible and understandable translations of four of Alberti’s mathematical treatises for modern readers who may not be versed in Italian, and to set them in close proximity to each other in order to shed light on his particular mathematical way of thinking. We feel that a single, comprehensive volume will be extremely valuable to round out the portrait of his multifaceted intellect.